A shot of Devon in August. Ahhh. Image courtesy of Helmet, Morguefile.

If you haven’t heard about it yet, get out your mugs of tea and biscuits. A BBC remake of And Then There Were None comes to Lifetime TV this Sunday, March 13. Whoo-hoo!

As a long-time fan of Dame Agatha, I plan to plonk myself in front of the TV and watch it along with other American fans. It’s looking good: the cast includes Toby Stephens, Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill and Aidan Turner. (Can ANY movie be bad with these talented actors in it?)

Aidan’s looking quite polished in this episode, without the shaggy hairstyles he’s had for Being Human, the Hobbit movies and Poldark. He plays Philip Lombard.

If you’re not familiar with it, the movie concerns 10 people lured to a remote island. And since it’s Agatha, you can guess what starts to happen to them. I’ll desist from saying more — I don’t want to spoil it for the uninitiated.

The book on which this movie is based, Ten Little Indians, has interesting history. According to the Internet Movie Database, this is Agatha’s best-selling book and the world’s best-selling mystery. Agatha herself said it was her most difficult book to write.

I’ve always felt it was one of her most creepy novels, especially with her use of a children’s poem as a plot device. You think you know how it ends, but then Agatha throws in her notorious plot twist at the end. I look forward to seeing how this version plays out.

Blog readers, which are some of your favorite Agatha Christies? Let’s discuss.

14 responses to “A treat for Agatha Christie lovers”

I read all of Agatha Christie in one huge binge. And Then There Were None, along with Murder/Express and the one that takes place during a bridge game (I forget the title) … but I recognize the plots. I think they’ve become the staples of all mystery writers around the world!

I’m ashamed to admit this but have never read any of Christie’s works, just have seen movie versions of some of her books. Thanks for this news alert as I didn’t know this had been remade-Kudos for Lifetime airing it, especially for all of us going through Downton Abbey withdrawals!!

I hear ya about the Downton Abbey withdrawals. I was sorry to see D.A. end.

Is it just me, or does it seem unusual that Lifetime is the one to air this? It doesn’t seem like their normal programming. I’d expect this type of fare to turn up on PBS or BBC America. I’m happy, though, that someone is putting on this movie.

I became a Christie fan late – after reading Ten Little Indians. That’s a great book as a study for characterization, suspense, and plot
Do you remember the black and white film? Missed the first showing of this new one, but will search for the next time it’s on. (Lifetime does seem to be branching out now – smart)